The Trap
Catherine Ryan Howard
263 pages
Penguin Randomhouse UK
published August 1, 2023
About the book
It’s the nightmare scenario that every girl is warned about, and she knows the dangers all too well – but what other choice does she have?
As they drive, she alternates between fear and relief – one moment thinking he is just a good man doing a good thing, the next convinced he’s a monster. But when he delivers her safely to her destination, she realizes her fears were unfounded.
And her heart sinks. Because a monster is what she’s looking for, to discover what happened to her missing sister.
She will try again tomorrow night. But will the man who took her sister take the bait?
My Review
This is a clever psychological thriller. It felt like I was dropped into the middle of the book and was trying to figure out what was up. Then I was caught up in the story and just enjoyed the plot and then wham. Whatever I thought was happening was not. Like I’ve already mentioned, this one is really quite clever. There are chapters from the killer/kidnapper that amp this one up to dark and creepy.
I stumbled upon the audiobook part way through my read and listened to part of this one. The kidnapper chapters are extra creepy in the audio version.
I don’t want to spoil this one and I suggest not reading much about this one and just going along for the ride if you like a slow burn creepy layered psychological thrillers.
About the author
CATHERINE RYAN HOWARD is an internationally bestselling author from Cork, Ireland. Her work has been shortlisted for the CWA’s John Creasey New Blood and Ian Fleming Steel Dagger awards, and in 2019 her novel THE LIAR’S GIRL was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. THE NOTHING MAN was a no. 1 bestseller in her native Ireland. She currently lives in Dublin, where she divides her time between the desk and the sofa.
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